Widow and young children sue business after partner's death

THE Mackay fiance and two children of a man who died in an accident at a saleyard in 2014 are suing the business he was working for at the time.

Bryson Mayne died after he fell off a truck and was trapped between two vehicles.

He sustained severe head injuries and died shortly after, leaving behind fiance Amanda Golding, who was pregnant with their second child, Charlotte, and 18-month-old son, Wyatt.

Now his fiance and children are taking the business Mr Mayne was working for at the time of his death to court for a combined $2.68million.

Court documents filed at Mackay Courthouse reveal the widow claims SJ and LMOpperman Transport did not provide a safe working environment, which contributed to Mr Mayne's death.

The documents outlined that on August 26, 2014, MrMayne was cross-loading cattle between two trucks.

At the time this was a necessity to get cattle to the meatworks because road trains weren't allowed to drive through Rockhampton.

This meant truck drivers had to cross-load cattle at the Central Queensland Livestock Exchange at Gracemere to go through Rockhampton.

That's what Mr Mayne was doing at 11.23am when he fell and became entrapped in the drop-down gate attached to the top level of the road train and the rear trailer of the B-double.

"As a result of the fall and entrapment ... (Mr Mayne) sustained severe head injuries and died," the court documents read.

The claim is the trucking business was negligent and/or breached its employment contract with Mr Mayne.

It was claimed by requiring Mr Mayne to work on top of the top deck of both the cattle truck he was operating and the trailer left by the employer for the purpose of cross-loading cattle without appropriate training or equipment, the company was negligent.

Ms Golding has claimed $977,886.40 for past losses, $991,620 for loss of services and $5178.50 for his funeral cost.

Bryson Mayne and Amanda Golding welcomed their first child, son Wyatt John Coleburn Mayne on New Years Day, at the Mater Hospital.
Photo Lee Constable / Daily MercuryLee Constable

Acting on the children's behalf, Ms Golding also claimed $343,473.40 for Wyatt and $365,061.90 for Charlotte.

Both SJ and LM Opperman Transport and Ms Golding were contacted for comment but both declined.

In March 2016 the Queensland Government committed $10million to improve the road network to allow type-one road train access from Central Queensland Livestock Exchange to North Rockhampton abattoirs.